A Fateful Assignment
by Bill Weasley's Girl
Summary: Formerly Neville's Story. This story is about Neville actually talking to someone about his parents. It's neither a romance yet nor will it ever a slash, so don't get your hopes up. Hope you enjoy.
1. The Assignment

Harry sat back in his seat and looked around the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. This new professor was lecturing on illegal curses and the punishments that would come with their use. They ranged from getting one's want taken away for a month to life in Azkaban.  
  
"... And so class, your assignment is to choose one of the curses and write me a twelve inch essay about it. However you choose to present the topic is fine with me. I warn you though, don't turn in rubbish, because I intend each of you to read your paper in front of the class," Professor Robertson concluded. The fifth year Gryffindor's groaned collectively.   
  
"You will each choose a curse, approve it with me, then proceed on your research." Neville raised his hand timidly. "Yes, Longbottom."  
  
"Sir, may I have the Cruciatus Curse?" he almost whispered.  
  
A look of pity flashed into the professor's eyes but was gone again before any of the other students saw. Harry cringed inwardly, thinking of what Dumbledore had said about Neville's parents the previous year. He knew he should take the Avanda Kedavra Curse, since he'd never fully learned how his parents had been killed by the curse. He also figured that no one else knew too much more about it than he did. Heck, his only memory of his parents was when they were being murdered with it.  
  
"Sir?" Harry asked raising his hand, "I would like to research the Avanda Kedavra Curse."  
  
A murmur passed across the room. "Why of course Mr. Potter, I'm interested to hear what you have to say about it."  
  
Hermione raised her hand next, not overly pleased that two people had gotten there before her. "Professor? I'd like to have the Malvivre Sic Curse."  
  
"And while we're on a roll, I'll take the Imperius Curse," Ron said confidently.  
  
"Of course Miss. Granger, Mr. Weasley. Oh! There's the bell, class dismissed. You will get the rest of your assignments tomorrow!" Professor Robertson called as students rushed past him toward the door.   
  
AN: I just came up with the Malvivre Curse..... But everything else, besides Professor Robertson is property of JK Rowling... Not me.   



	2. Preliminary Research

Later that evening Hermione dragged Ron and Harry to the library to do 'preliminary research' for their papers. Harry grabbed the first promising looking book and settled himself down at an isolated table, hoping the well-hidden emotions he fought would stay down at least until he got back into his room.  
  
He read: The Avanda Kedavra curse is the worst curse known to the wizarding world. It is one of the few spells for which there is no reversal. It can not be blocked, and only one person to date has survived... Harry trailed off. He wasn't interested in his 'miraculous' escape, nor his trademark scar which he was rubbing thoughtfully, out of habit.  
  
Harry's thoughts were elsewhere, back in Godric's Hollow that fateful Halloween. He replayed their voices over and over again. They'd died for him! Damn it! They'd laid down their lives so he could live. An anguished cry issued from somewhere deep inside him and he threw the book down like it was on fire.  
  
"Harry?" a voice asked quietly from behind the shelves.  
  
"Yes," he answered, suddenly very weary.  
  
"What's wrong?" Neville asked cautiously stepping into view. "Oh," he said quietly, looking at the book, now laying open on the table, which read AVANDA KEDAVRA in bold letters. "Sometimes I feel like that too."  
  
"What?" Harry asked, thoroughly bewildered. What was Neville talking about? As Neville opened his mouth to say more, Harry realized exactly what Neville was talking about.   
  
"My parents," Neville said, taking the seat across from Harry and setting down "The Three Unforgivable Curses" next to Harry's book. His page was open to THE CRUCIATUS CURSE. "They're alive. Did you know that?"  
  
"Well no, I just figured that since you live with a family member and all...." Harry trailed off, going back into his own past.  
  
"No," Neville said bitterly, slamming his hand down on the table. "They're not dead, worse, they're.... they're..." Neville trailed off, trying to compose himself.  
  
"They're what Neville?" Harry asked gently, already sure of Neville's answer.  
  
"They're insane," he managed to whisper before burying his head in his robes, his shoulders shaking with soundless sobs.   



	3. The Cruciatus Curse

"Oh Neville, that's horrible! What happened?" Harry asked, trying to get Neville to do something besides sob. Neville never cried in times of fright or crisis (save physical injury) but this one thought broke him down completely. Harry remembered all the way back in third year hearing the sniffles from across the room in the middle of the night, finally realizing the trauma Neville had suffered in his short life.   
  
"Some death eaters, you know what those are right? Of course you do. Came to our house when I was about two years old and tried to get my father to give them the whereabouts of Voldermort. Yeah Harry, I said it," he said with a wry smile, "I figure there's no reason not to. Ultimately, he's the reason I have no parents."  
  
Here he stopped and looked at Harry who was watching him wide eyed, waiting for more. Dumbledore had only given him basics, not the details that made the story so real.   
  
"My dad was an Auror you know, one of the best. I don't know whether my father didn't know about it, or just refused to tell but either way, they put him under the Cruciatus Curse, just to make sure he wasn't going to talk."   
  
Harry shuddered, remembering the feeling of being under the curse.   
  
"Something wrong Harry?" Neville asked in a concerned tone.  
  
"Not really, I'll tell you later. Would you please continue? This sounds eerily familiar," Harry said, trying to shrug off the uneasiness of thinking about the Cruciatus Curse.   
  
"Well, my dad didn't reveal any information, so out of spite they put the curse on my mum too," he stopped, drawing a shaky breath, "That's when I toddled into the room. Yes, I was there and saw their last sane moments ... that is ... that is until they turned their wands on me. Can you imagine? Putting an Unforgivable Curse on a toddler? I guess you an, but I mean hypothetically of course," Neville turned his head away, refusing to meet Harry's eye.  
  
"Oh Neville I never knew! How come you never told us?" Harry asked, floored by all this new information. he couldn't have ever imagined, the Cruciatus Curse on a two year old. I was horrible. At least the Avanda Kedavra was painless.  
  
"They, they say my mum saw them and even through the curse registered what was happening. My dad too. I visit them you know, with Gran," Neville sniffed, his eyes puffy from crying.  
  
"That's so sad! Neville you really should have told us sooner," Harry said moving around the table to pat Neville's back as comfortingly as he could. "Neville?" Harry asked suddenly curious.  
  
"Wha?"  
  
"Do you remember? The curse I mean."  
  
"Yeah," Neville shuddered, his eyes getting a far away look to them. "It's awful, the worst pain you could ever imagine. Pray you never feel it Harry. Pray."  
  
Harry sighed. "But I have Neville. You see, at Voldermot's hand I have been under all three of the Unforgivable Curses."  



	4. My Parents

AN: New chapter here has been written and sitting in my room for about a month or so I'd say. Enjoy and as always please review. BTW. Nothin in here belongs to me. It all belongs to JK Rowling. I'll see everybody after Spring Break.   
  
"How?"  
  
"Well, you remember when, at the end of the maze last year, how Cedric and I disappeared? Well, it was a portkey that took us directly to Voldermort." At this Neville gasped. "Don't worry, this wasn't our first meeting since I was in infant. Anyway, almost immediately he Avanda Kedavra'd Cedric, who was standing right next to me. Then, he summoned all the Death Eaters and had his servant Wormtail, prepare to return his to his original body."  
  
"I thought he was supposed to be gone!"  
  
"No, he's alive and now quite well. The potion used to return him needed the 'blood of an enemy' so I got a second scar from Voldermort that night," Harry continued, pulling up the sleeve of his robes, brandishing the thin, straight scar with utter disgust.  
  
"After he had his body back, her performed both the Cruciatus and Imperius Curses on me. I fought the Imperius Curse and beat him though."  
  
"Wow," Neville breathed, looking at Harry with newfound awe.  
  
"You know, I've never told anyone about what happened when..." he touched the scar on his forehead.  
  
"Well, if you don't want to talk about it don't."  
  
"No. You told me about your parents, I'll tell you all I can remember about mine. Where do I even start? Well, first I'll tell you that for ten years I didn't know the true reason I was an orphan or how I got my scar. The muggles I lived with hated me for what I was, and never told me I was a wizard. Instead they told me it was a car crash that killed them. A car! Of course at that point I had no choice but to believe them, but in the back of my mind I knew they were lying."  
  
Neville looked shocked.  
  
"It gets scarier. It so happens that my dad had three great friends here at Hogwarts. Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black," Harry paused glancing apprehensively at Neville who's eyes widened. Sirius Black is not and never has been in league with Voldermort. I see you don't believe me. It's true. When I was one year old, my mum and dad when into hiding and needed a Secret Keeper to complete the Fiddles Charm. They wanted to use dad's closest friend of the three, Sirius. At the last minute they changed the Secret Keeper to Pettigrew. It was the perfect bluff, not using the powerful, boastful best friend, but the week and talentless tag along. What they hadn't planned on was the fact that Peter was Voldermort's spy. He was the one who betrayed by parents to Voldermort, not Sirius. He is still alive, contrary to popular belief. I've seen him once since I first found this out."  
  
"Oh Lord," was all that Neville could get out.   
  
  
  
  



End file.
